tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post3631687775314954232..comments2024-03-20T16:46:13.343-04:00Comments on Marly Youmans / The Palace at 2:00 a.m. / poems, stories, novels: Mome raths outgrabe; or, how to deal with a bad reviewMarly Youmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-1751740786052584142011-11-21T14:32:05.949-05:002011-11-21T14:32:05.949-05:00Kathleen,
Thanks for veering into my corner of th...Kathleen,<br /><br />Thanks for veering into my corner of the world (you came from the mole track, I am sure!) I will repay the curiosity in kind once I am done with page proofs.<br /><br />So you were in theatre... shall be fun to go see exactly what you do.<br /><br />My prime method is the wait-three-months one.Marly Youmanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-14325893864407891642011-11-21T09:28:53.604-05:002011-11-21T09:28:53.604-05:00I so appreciate your advice on handling reviews an...I so appreciate your advice on handling reviews and the commentary that follows! It took me a while to learn it might be better NOT to read theatre reviews when I was a working actor--not to read them at all, or to wait a good while and read them in tranquility. Sigh. Of course, that doesn't solve the problem of your fellow actors saying, "Congratulations on the great review!" (Kathleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06559881249054540947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-40760512135074171322011-11-11T19:40:45.458-05:002011-11-11T19:40:45.458-05:00Paul,
I entirely agree that there seems to be no ...Paul,<br /><br />I entirely agree that there seems to be no piece of art that is liked by everybody, and so the goal of being liked by all (including reviewers) is not a good one. Fruitless and destructive...<br /><br />But even great reviews contain a bit of criticism. I wonder; how many artists have actually gained something, learned something from negative points? And how many discouraged Marly Youmanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-18789976125953357462011-11-11T14:52:38.105-05:002011-11-11T14:52:38.105-05:00'Salacious'
Oh well. My mind was on other...'Salacious'<br />Oh well. My mind was on other things. <br /><br />'Unpleasant' will do.<br /><br />But as the old saying just went, "If you haven't got anything nice to say about something, be very, very witty."Paul Digbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-44990537642079663642011-11-11T14:50:12.168-05:002011-11-11T14:50:12.168-05:00"In my opinion", or "To this specta..."In my opinion", or "To this spectator/reader/viewer" would be a very much nicer way of delivering bad reviews. <br />No-on expects everyone to like their work, but no-one deserves those who do not, to slam it.<br />There are occasions where a bad review is in order (the actor spits or swears at an audience. The conductor gives up - in tiff, etc) but they are rare.<br />The Paul Digby.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-24809118811152901742011-11-11T09:55:27.466-05:002011-11-11T09:55:27.466-05:00Clive,
I do prefer it when they are serious and f...Clive,<br /><br />I do prefer it when they are serious and funny, though sometimes that increases the ouch factor...<br /><br />You were an adorable Jim!Marly Youmanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-46267806949826200822011-11-11T02:04:07.320-05:002011-11-11T02:04:07.320-05:00The last time I played Jim Hawkins in Treasure Isl...The last time I played Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, I was cast opposite a Long John Silver who was very young. The reviewer wrote:<br /><br />'Clive Roberts played Cap'n Silver and Clive hicks-Jenkins played cabin boy Jim, and both are old enough to have known better'.<br /><br />Ouch!Clive Hicks-Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00573698513351018726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-10673619560168965782011-11-10T19:35:04.153-05:002011-11-10T19:35:04.153-05:00marja-leena,
I definitely have a tougher skin tha...marja-leena,<br /><br />I definitely have a tougher skin than I did once. And I think that I am more cheerful in general. So if a bad one came along, I wouldn't be down long.<br /><br />One thing I learned by guest-editing is that everybody says they want feedback but not everybody means it!Marly Youmanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02377938366750387442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-75292074987176805892011-11-10T19:32:07.054-05:002011-11-10T19:32:07.054-05:00Robbi,
There have been cases where much happened ...Robbi,<br /><br />There have been cases where much happened because of a bad review. I was just thinking about Poe reviewing W. W. Lord and utterly destroying his then-considerable reputation as a poet... <br /><br />And I am sure some tender souls could not bear the onslaught. <br /><br />But mostly it is not like that...<br /><br />Some things must be borne. Good cheer despite all!<br /><br />marlyhttp://www.thepalaceat2.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-65672033084708596112011-11-10T19:27:15.217-05:002011-11-10T19:27:15.217-05:00Paul speaks for me here. I think we have to develo...Paul speaks for me here. I think we have to develop something of a tough skin. Art school, writing workshops etc does some of that, doesn't it?marja-leenahttp://www.marja-leena-rathje.infonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-65492029797606745962011-11-10T19:16:37.097-05:002011-11-10T19:16:37.097-05:00With the kind of stuff that has come down the pike...With the kind of stuff that has come down the pike at me in the past year, I don't fear it.Robbi N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04881145195435485238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-48699779537144376672011-11-10T17:09:13.148-05:002011-11-10T17:09:13.148-05:00Robbi,
They do say that a bad review is better th...Robbi,<br /><br />They do say that a bad review is better than no review at all.<br /><br />"They" say.marlyhttp://www.thepalaceat2.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-36055137038826347332011-11-10T16:39:56.259-05:002011-11-10T16:39:56.259-05:00Can't we suck it up, as we are used to doing f...Can't we suck it up, as we are used to doing from workshops where people would body slam the poem or whatever it was? We should know enough to shake our heads sagely and go on doing what we are doing, which will be, if we are lucky, moving on to the next book.<br />But then it is so easy for me to talk. I haven't been here yet. When these reviews come, if they do, I guess it will be Robbi N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04881145195435485238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-61848548306673211132011-11-10T15:04:05.105-05:002011-11-10T15:04:05.105-05:00zephyr,
Making people smile is not a bad goal, is...zephyr,<br /><br />Making people smile is not a bad goal, is it?marly youmanshttp://www.thepalaceat2.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-73854812551009082932011-11-10T14:51:20.761-05:002011-11-10T14:51:20.761-05:00The last is best! And made me smile.The last is best! And made me smile.zephyrhttp://www.thegarden.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-81152961340667068402011-11-10T14:13:30.648-05:002011-11-10T14:13:30.648-05:00Hannah,
I wonder if she got any response from tho...Hannah,<br /><br />I wonder if she got any response from those cards.<br /><br />I rarely review, though I recently agreed to do one. I just have too much of a mad dash though each day at the moment. Certainly with poetry most books are "reviewed" by not being seen, not being reviewed.<br /><br />And there seems to be a general dearth of sense of humor around these topics...marly youmanshttp://www.thepalaceat2.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-87826151773441180972011-11-10T14:06:06.503-05:002011-11-10T14:06:06.503-05:00I think we have to lighten up a bit (we=writers an...I think we have to lighten up a bit (we=writers and artists). In this life, not everyone will like us and what we do/make. It's really ok.<br /><br />Reviews of our work don't often make or break us.<br /><br />However, when I wrote book reviews, I didn't write negative reviews. If I didn't like a book, I chose not to review it. So I see Paul's point...<br /><br />I remember Hannah Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15792203070774504501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-66544319312371270312011-11-10T13:51:43.200-05:002011-11-10T13:51:43.200-05:00Paul, I am always glad to see that you are against...Paul, I am always glad to see that you are against the grain of the way things are done!<br /><br />But they do come whether one asks or not, don't they? And without them, a lot of books would still be totally invisible. Of course, a lot of what we have now are blog posts...<br /><br />I don't think the review Lethem attacked was a truly "bad" review. It was thoughtful and had amarly youmanshttp://www.thepalaceat2.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11539948.post-12310937877318073702011-11-10T13:34:45.048-05:002011-11-10T13:34:45.048-05:00I think bad reviews are a bad idea.
If one is tryi...I think bad reviews are a bad idea.<br />If one is trying to protect purchases (of a book, a movie, a CD, or such) then is would be far better to just write on a personal response level. THAT is a curtesy that any critic who does not deem themselves an 'expert' should be doing.<br />A reviewer/critic who deems themselves an 'expert' is clearly not. Art is subjective.<br /><br />Paul Digby.noreply@blogger.com